New seasons of The Pitt and High Potential joined 14 other small screen projects to receive some big bucks today in California tax incentives.
A mix of relocating shows, dramas, comedies and certified soundstage filming the $750 million program has long helped fund, this allocation round has the first ever competition series to get a West Coast tax credit nod with the Jimmy Kimmel and Mark Rober-executive produced Schooled! from Netflix. In the animated genre and in another first for the state program, Family Guy spinoff Stewie was also a successful recipient in the effort to keep production in the home of Hollywood.
“Mark Rober’s goal is to teach students about science and engineering, and we are proud to create jobs and produce fun, educational programming that does just that right here in our beautiful state,” said Kimmel, who is the only late-night host to film his show in LA. Announced earlier this month by the streamer, Schooled! is set to get almost $7 million from the state with 27 cast members and 230 crew hired for its 18 days of shooting
Also including the likes of I Love LA, I Suck At Girls and a projected second season of Steve Carell’s Rooster from Warner Bros TV, the shows awarded today are set to ultimately inject $1.3 billion into the Golden State’s economy overall. Aiming to put some step into a still sluggish industry, the named and untitled projects from Netflix, Apple, Disney, WB and more will have over 1,200 filming days in California and see around 4,500 crew members and cast getting a pay check, says the California Film Commission.
FUN FACT: On this final day of Bob Iger‘s second stint as Disney CEO and Josh D’Amaro’s first day in the hot seat House of Mouse gig, five of the 16 shows that scored tax credits were from Disney entities.
Take a look at the 16 shows that made the cut here or below:
“California’s creative economy isn’t just part of who we are — it helps power this state forward,” declared Gov. Gavin Newsom, who kicked off the cash surge in the previously $330 million program in October 2024 (as Deadline exclusively reported), this AM. “From the folks on the soundstage to the people designing the sets, these are jobs that anchor communities. I’m pleased to expand this award to animated and competition shows, helping advance the strongest entertainment economy in the nation and bringing even more good-paying jobs to California.”
In case you missed that last bit from the likely 2028 presidential candidate, these incentives are (and have been ever since a 2014 revamping) all about jobs, jobs, jobs. With an up to 45% credit possible for shows and films, to paraphrase that famous James Carville mantra: “It’s the Industry, Stupid!”
Which is why in the mix more and more we are seeing big shows get the big bucks.
Individually, as the list above shows, a January announced third season of HBO’s Noah Wyle-led The Pitt will get just under $24.2 million and the recently announced Season 3 of ABC’s High Potential received $37.7 million. For the R. Scott Gemmill-created medical drama this allocation is double the $12.245 million The Pitt got for its first and second seasons respectively.
Along with its Emmy-winning leads (who aren’t eligible under the tax program themselves), the John Wells-produced Pitt will give jobs to 65 cast members, a crew of 180 and 16,204 background players for those packed hospital scenes. The Kaitlin Olsen-starring crime dramedy High Potential will provide jobs to 28 cast, a crew of 350 and almost 4,500 background actors.
The most awarded in this latest TV round was the $48 million that went to an as-yet unrevealed relocating series from 20th TV that plans to hired a cast of 275 and a crew of 250, with 8,500 background players
Taking bets…
As for betting on who will get the next tax incentive allocations, knowing that $300 million is in the cookie jar for TV every year, the next big screen awards will be made public around April 13. Taking online applications, the next TV round opens from April 6-8, with allocations revealed by the CFC on May 18.
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